In a season weighted by lofty expectations, the Minnesota Timberwolves' up and down slog to the All-Star break came as a stinging disappointment.

Even though the Wolves finished off the first half on a high note in a 117-90 rout of the Denver Nuggets, they sit six games out of eighth place in the Western Conference with a 25-28 record.

Are the Wolves' hopes of ending a nine-season playoff drought alive? Yes, but just barely.

It would likely take one of the best runs in franchise history for the Wolves to work their way into the heart of the playoff race and grab one of the final spots in the highly competitive West.

In the last 13 non-lockout shortened seasons, teams in the West have needed an average of 45 total wins to make the playoffs. Last season, the Rockets and the Lakers snagged the final two spots in the West with 45-37 records.

The Wolves would need to win 20 of their final 29 games to reach that 45-win threshold. It would take a similar second half like the one they had in 2004 when they went 21-9 after the break en route to a franchise best 58-win season. However, in that case they were already 22 games above .500 by the break.

The Wolves have not won more than 13 games in the season's second half since the 2004-05 season when they went 17-11 after the All-Star game but finished one game shy of a playoff spot.

Minnesota has posted a winning record after the All-Star break only six times (1998-99 lockout shortened season excluded) since the team entered the NBA in 1989, making the playoffs in five of those six years.

Wolves' record before and after All-Star break

Season Before After Final

2012-13 19-31 13-20 31-51-- Ended 14 games out of 8th place in Western Conference